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June 23 Breakfast on the Farm sets new attendance record

Consumers are interested in knowing more about where their food comes from. Record number 2,658 attendees participated in the Breakfast on the Farm event hosted by Choate’s Belly Acres near Cement City in Jackson County.

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Nancy Thelen, Michigan State University Extension

Photo: Record setting number of visitors to Choate’s Belly Acres for Breakfast on the Farm

The
weather was perfect for this Southeastern Michigan
event and lines of cars started coming in 30 minutes before it was scheduled to
begin. Visitors who ate breakfast enjoyed pancakes, sausage, eggs, applesauce,
yogurt, juice, milk and coffee. Following breakfast they started their tour of
this family farm and were able to learn how the farm uses technology in their
dairy and cropping systems.

The
milking parlor was again a favorite educational station. As a participant
shared, “this has been a wonderful way to educate the public about all the
steps milk goes through before it gets to the table.”

Visitors
were also able to talk with the farm’s veterinarian and learned that a dairy
farmer’s commitment to providing high-quality milk begins with taking good care
of the cows and working closely with the veterinarian to keep the cows healthy
and comfortable. Many visitors were amazed when they walked into the free stall
barn where the cows are housed. The temperature from outside to inside the barn
was about a 15 degree drop and it was very comfortable for the cows and the
visitors. Cow comfort is a top priority as comfortable cows produce
high-quality, wholesome milk and live a longer life with less stress when they
receive good care.

Other
learning stations highlighted nutrient management, irrigation, calves, cow
nutrition, natural recycling, farm equipment and crop production. Visitors
learned that cropping systems used today keep soil and nutrients in place to
grow food, protect the water and improve the soil. Farmers no longer plow their
fields; instead they use no-till practices whenever possible. No-till farming
is planting into the previous crop’s residue.

In
addition, when a farmer keeps his fields green with cover crops, soil is saved.
In 2011, Michigan
farmers doubled their use of cover crops to reduce wind and rain erosion. The
crops station also had displays on corn and soybeans, as well as the progress
of the industry. Increased productivity has allowed more food to be produced on
less land. Visitors saw that in the past 60 years corn yield went from 38 to
150 bushels per acre, soybeans increased 2.6 times to over 43 bushels per acre
and wheat yields are over three times higher at 70 bushels per acre.

Many
of the children spent time in the Kids Activities Barn and had fun playing in a
wagon full of shelled corn. Prior to ice cream sandwiches, the kids turned in
their farm tour quizzes and received a prize bag of goodies and many adults
completed surveys. Forty-six percent of the adults surveyed said it was their
first visit to a working dairy farm in at least the past 20 years.

Comments
from visitors included, “invaluable tour; thank you so much for a wonderful
experience, beyond my expectations; great educational and family centered
event; and great tour, very informative.” The surveys also showed that as a
result of the tour, the majority of those completing surveys increased their
knowledge and changed their perceptions about modern food production, including
how farmers care for the environment, how they treat their animals and how they
provide comfortable housing for them. They also reported that their
participation increased their likelihood of purchasing Michigan products, and increased their
confidence in milk as a safe food.

More
than 200 volunteers from throughout southeastern Michigan helped to organize and implement
this educational and fun event. There were over 65 local sponsors and ten state
sponsors who helped to make this program possible. Breakfast on the Farm is a
statewide Michigan State University (MSU) Extension
program and in 2012 there will be eight farms throughout Michigan that have or will be hosting Breakfast on the Farm
events.

To
learn more visit the Breakfast on the Farm
website or contact MSU Extension agriculture literacy educators and
Breakfast on the Farm coordinators, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 989-354-9870 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at
734-222-3825.

July 14, 2017 | Jim Isleib | For those interested in new farm enterprises, these recorded presentations by MSU Extension educators and other experts offer a free, online opportunity to learn about the basics.